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JET SET CHEF ON AN ARCTIC ROLL

By admin on Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Filed Under: Food & Drink

Guernsey News, 1 December 2009 – A leading local chef has been flown to Scandinavia to cook at a special dinner, using Guernsey produce.

Tim Vidamour, partner and Head Chef at Da Nello Restaurant for 30 years, was flown by private jet to a mystery location on the coast of Norway to cook a private celebration dinner for 28 guests. Mr Vidamour explained: ‘We have a regular customer who dines at Da Nello, with his wife, throughout the winter. Like most Scandinavians, they enjoy good fish so they asked me to cook lobster at a private dinner for friends and business associates.’

Mr Vidamour, who was accompanied on the trip by his wife Fernanda, joined a pair of accomplished Norwegian chefs to prepare the five-course meal. He explained that his role was to cook Lobster Thermidor: ‘This dish works best with local ingredients. We looked at taking Guernsey lobster, which this gentleman is particularly fond of, but the import regulations made it tricky. However, we did manage to take plenty of Guernsey cream, butter and cheese, which added an extra dash of luxury to the dish. The guests all enjoyed the taste.’ He also took some of his own Gremolata sauce with him, which is a combination of lemon zest, garlic, parsley, and olive oil.

The Guernseyman went on to cook for a private dinner party on the following evening, for a small group of ladies. The meal included his popular crab starter Tris di Granchio, which features in the Da Nello recipe book (see Note 1).

During the trip the Guernsey-born chef cooked around 50 lobsters, which are only in season for a brief period each year in Norway. He worked alongside a Norwegian TV chef, as a well as a Michelin-starred pâtissier, who prepared a selection of typical Norwegian dishes and what Mr Vidamour described as ‘really stunning sweets’. The menu also featured King Crab, especially flown in for the meal from Russia.

Mr Vidamour showed the two Norwegian chefs how to make Thermidor sauce, Guernsey-style. Both were presented with copies of the Da Nello recipe book by the mystery host, as part of the event.

Andy Coleman, Chairman of Good Food Guernsey, commented: ‘We all know that Guernsey is a terrific place to eat, but it’s great to see one of our local chefs receive this level of international recognition. It’s also good to see Guernsey’s world class dairy produce show-cased at such an exclusive event.’ He added: ‘We’re really delighted that Tim has helped to spread the word and build the Bailiwick’s reputation as a good food destination.’

Mr Vidamour said that he had been asked not to reveal either the location of the party or the gentleman’s identity: ‘It was quite exciting to board a private jet, bound for a country you’ve never visited before. It’s certainly not the sort of thing you do everyday.’ He added: ‘Luckily I did not have to wear a blindfold.’

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